The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-08-26
SELECT STORY.
MURDERED HIMSELF.

Oh Oposura mexico, facing the high
road, and separated from the river
Yagua by a belt of trees, there stood
some years ago long, low cottage
known as La Bolsa. Senior Rodriguez,
who was a squarely-built, clean. .shaven
man of about 40, with gray hair, mus.
tache aud goatee, and with nothing re-
markable about him except deep cut
over his right eyebrow, had now been
occupying the cottage for little over
a year. Considerable speculation was
INDUCED in as to whom Rodriguez was
and what he did for a living. He
never volunteered any information on
the score, but on one occasion he was
heard to say something which led to
the inference that he had been sea
captain, and on the strength of it the
residents of the village called him the
captain.
About this time the captain had got
into trouble. He lowed his landlord
and the village tradesmen in the neigh
borhood of $500, and the patience of
his creditors was nearly exhausted,
when one day they received a letter
from the captain in which he wrote
that he would satisfy their claims on
the following Monday, as a legacy left
by distant relative had been paid in
to his account at the village bank.
On Saturday the captain came into
town, met his landlords son, chatted
pleasantly with the young man and in.
vited him to accompany him to the
bank. He remained at the bank about
ten minutes, and came out at the end
of that time, buttoning into the breast
pocket Of his coat fat looking pocket
book. He then went straight home
after making few purchases and bid
ding the young man good-day.
On Sunday morning the villagers
were startled by the announcement
made by the captains servant at the
police station that her master had beer
murdered the night before and robbed
The inspector and the whole availabl,
police force of the village, consisting
of two policemen, set off for La Bolsi
to unearth the mystery.
On reaching the building the win
dows and doors in front were CLOSED
and locked. On gong round to tn,
back the door leading from the sitting
room to the garden, which sloped dow
to the river, was found TO be open, ant
on entering the sitting-room drops O
blood were seen along the carpet be
tween the staircase and the gardel
door. On the staircase itself the drop
of blood were more frequent. The bed
room, however, was clearly the plac
where the murder had been committed
The table by the window had beel
pushed out of its place the only tw
chairs in the room were lying on tn
floor. The bed, which had not beel
slept in, was deluged with blood, an
in the middle of it was deep indenta
ton, as if heavy body had been press
ed down upon it. A large clasp,knift
stained with blood, was lying on tn
pillow, and by the door on the foo
was an open pocket-book. So muc
the inspector saw at glance as b
entered, He took the pocket-book an
looked carefully through it; it wa
empty, but lying near it, and behin
the door, was piece of neatly-folde,
paper. 1t had evidently fallen from tn
pocket-book while the murderer wa
emptying the contents. 1t was a half
sheet of note paper folded in three, an
written on it were the numbers an,
value Of forty-two bank notes, the tota
of which amounted to $3.50. Her
was a clew at once. An officer wa
Immediately dispatched to the villag
with the paper to inquire of the ban
authorities whether those were tn
numbers of the notes which had bee
paid to the captain the day before. Fl
also received orders to await the al
rival of CAPT. Salegria, well-know
and daring Mexican detective, who wa
to arrive in the village at noon that da
to visit an old friend. The ban
identified the numbers on the paper a
those of the bank notes paid out tn
day before to the captain. The none
had been paid him by the bank in pun
suance of an order contained in lette
on Saturday morning from one of it
correspondents, Colez, Garcia & Co,
large firm doing an immense busines
with the United States. Further il
quiries being made by the officer, it wa
ascertained that man, who seemed t.
avoid observation, was seen driving
along the road early On the morning
OF the murder in vehicle very muc
of the style used in the country. Th
man who drove the mysterious man t
where he could obtain a stage whic
ran on the old Oposura road, Shove
the bank bill which the stranger ha
given him to change, and it was foun
to be one of those stolen from the caE
tain.
From the indications outside, ther
was no doubt that the murderer ha
gone out of the sitting-room backward
dragging the body of bis victim atte
him, Across the small grass plot, an
half way through the belt of trees, tn
footsteps continued there they ceased
On the soft mud and leaves were a
impression as if a long, heavy bod
had been laid there near this impress
ion, lying ON the ground, was spade
and at the distance of few feet tn
ground was dug up as if it had bee
intended TO bury the body there. III
project, however, had been given u
as the murdered had thought of be
ter plan for disposing of the bod.
But where In the river, of course
Sure enough, IN the river bank the foo
prints were again found. The riv'
had been dragged up and down an
sideways and across, and at every CO..
ceivable angle, but no body had bee
found. The inspector was getting in
patient when a road wagon drove U
and dapper little man with swartf
complexion and a heavy black mu
tache jumped out. The stranger W
none other than Capt. Salegria, the +
nous detective. In few minutes Il
detective had heard all that the inspe
tor had to tell.
"Let me see," said the detectiv
"All the village, you say, knew Il
captain would have money to pay b
debts 7"
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